VMware Fusion 3.0 Quick Review
I was up answering emails last night well into the night and before turning in I upgraded to Vmware Fusion 3. Thought I would pro’s and con’s it here for the group:
Spiffy:
- Runs MUCH better on Snow Leopard and utilizes 64bit fully. Memory utilization on my macpro was much better than with 2
- Ran a few games (HL, Quake3, DoD) and they seem to have less graphic artifacts. I can’t think of a game I play that isn’t native or run in WINE, but a neat option. I see this as a big boom for those doing 3d modeling and the software not able to run any other way. Also supports Aero and Windows 7 flip. I usually turn these off by default, but someone must like them.
- VNC! I missed this feature most from Workstation on Linux. You can make a vncserver so that when you start your VM you can then hookup @ the BIOS level from another machine. Great for hosting a VM as a sudo-server
- I haven’t had a chance to test, but the migration tool looks to be a killer option for those moving from Windows machines. It works over a network and requires a little program install on your windows machines. I am wondering if this is based on P2V they offer for Enterprise work. I wonder how many of these little converter apps will be finding their way to corporate images :) The end result being install a little program, start the mac, and convert your whole machine to a VM with your apps and settings.
Lame:
- The Applications Menu is ALWAYS present in my menu bar now. I only use Windows in Vmware for those few cold dark moments when nothing else works. Others may like this, but my reaction was “What is this thing taking up my screen real-estate”
- I was hoping 3.0 would provide more of the system record/debug eclipse tie-in capabilities. Using Workstation+Eclipse on a Linux machine is a pleasure for debugging code and memory issues
- Follow us on twitter and facebook icons are cheesy
- Make sure and grab the light version or you get mcafee nags for installing AV
Bottom Line: Worth the 39 dollar upgrade and if you are looking to buy 79 dollars isn’t that bad. If all you are doing is the occasional Windows boot for a little program then look @ VirtualBox instead. Only folks who need the extra feature set or do enterprise Vmware work actually need to drop the dollars
Links:
http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/fusion-for-mac.html
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
http://download3.vmware.com/demos/fusion/f3/movetomac.html
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